There have been some recent setbacks to this gaming annoyance. The Nintendo Wiimote supports vibration but with severe consequences to battery life. I'd imagine most gamers will turn it off and re-discover the joy of a non-shaking controller. Sony lost some patent battle and had to pull it from their Playstation 3 controllers. This would make me optimistic but I've heard some gaming podcasts and read some reviews that lament the absence of "force feedback".

I was disappointed that none of them found games to be less irksome without it. I suppose Sony will eventually have to invent some replacement. After all, the Xbox 360 has the embedded rumble feature so it's just a matter of time before Sony decides to keep up with the Joneses.

I'm still hoping to win over a few converts though. Here's my challenge to you: turn off the rumble feature next time you fire up a game. See for yourself if all that vibration adds or detracts from the game. If you honestly think it adds to the game, yeah I think you're nuts, but at least you gave it a try. I think many of you will find that you've been brainwashed into believing that the rumble feature is an essential piece of the gaming experience. Something that probably tacks on $5-$10 to today's pricey controllers. Perhaps you will join me in wishing good riddance to this lame idea that has long outlasted its stay.